Bow-facing oar.



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HENRY DOBSON REESE, OF EASTLAKE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TO IVILLIAM F. SPARLING, 'OF MOHONK LAKE,- NEIV YORK.

Bow-FACING OAR'.

sPEcIFrcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,204, dated August 29, 1899.

Application filed September 1, 1898. Serial No. 689,995. (No model.)

.To all whom t m/cty concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY DoBsoN Rnnsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eastlake, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bow-Facing Oars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to 1o which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of boat-oars designated bow-facing, in which the operator faces the bow of the boat when pulling the oars; and the objects of myimprovement are', first, to provide a clamp adapted to engage the gunWale of a boat at any desired position, the clamp provided with vertical pins having a featheringgear-connected bow facing oar journaled zo thereon; second, toI provide a gear-connecting oar journaled ona rock-plate connected to a clamp, the gears provided with extensions to engage an adjustable handle on one gear and a journaled oar-blade adapted to turn in its journals to feather the oar on the opposite gear extension, and, third, to provide a bow-facing oar having an adjustable handle and a journaled oar-blade mounted on opposite connecting-gears, the head of the gear- 3o pivots provided with a link adapted to partly turn the oar-blade With each stroke of the oar. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure lis a top or plan view of my improved bow-facing oar. Fig. 2 is a side view of the gear-pivot connecting-link. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the clamping device. Fig. 4is a side view of the same. Fig.

4o 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 through the center. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the connecting-gears and their extensions.

Similarl numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The clamp 1 to engagethe gunwale of the boat is made of any desired metallic material. The outside wings of the clamp are provided with thumb-screws 2 2', inserted near the ends thereof. The inwardly-pro- 5o jeeting extension 3 is provided with an adj ustable drop-plate 4, having a thumb-screw .are journaled on the pins.

5 in the lower end thereof. The drop-plate is provided with a screw-threaded shank 6. The shank is adapted to'enter the extension 3 of the clamp and to be adjusted therein to 55 fit the gunwale 7 of the boat, the thumbscrews attaching the clamp securely to the gunwale at the desired position.

The head of the clamp is provided with two upwardly-extending lugs 8 8', to which the 6o rock-plate 9 is journaled by a pin, a downwardly-projecting lug 10 being formed on the under side of the rock-plate to engage the pin. Two pins 11 ll' extend upward from the rock-plate. Two connecting-gears 12 12 65 One of the gears is provided with an extension to receive a handle 13. The handle is attached by bolts 14 14 and can be adjusted to length by the slotted holes 15 15', provided in the extension. 7o The opposite gear extension is provided with bearings 16 16', in which a blade connection 17 is journaled. The blade 18 is attached to the journaled connection by any suitable means.

The journaled blade connection is provided with a tripping-lug 19, and two stop-lugs 20 and 2l are provided to prevent the blade from turning beyond the desired position. The stop-lugs at each partial revolution of the oar-blade strike on the opposite edges of 8o the half-sleeve to which the bearings 16 16/ are attached, the sleeve preventing the blade from turning beyond the desired position.

The connecting-link 22 on the heads of the gear journal-pins is provided with an exten- 8 5 sion on one end, the extension having forked jaws 23 23 formed thereon, the jaw 23 being' longer and set higher than the jaw 23. The jaws alternately striking the tripping-lug on the blade-journal partly revolves the oar- 9o blade in opposite directions as the oar is operated.

In operation the oar-handle When carried forward brings the tripping-lug on the bladejournal against the jaw 23 of the connect- 95 ing-link. The jaw turns the blade-journal to bring the oar-blade to a vertical position, the stop 20 preventing the blade from turning beyond the desired position. The oar-handle when pulled back brings the tripping-lug loo against the jaw 23 of the connecting-link, which turns the oar-blade to nearly ahorizontal position, the stop 21 preventing the blade from turning beyond the desired position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'s-

1. In a bow-facing oar, the combination with two gear-connected members journaled blade-journal provided with an operatingzo tappet and two stops as shown, with means to operate the tappet to partly rotatethe oarblade, 4substantially as described.

3. The combination in a clamp adapted to engage the gunwale of a boat, of two winged eitensions with thumb-screws to engage outside the gunwale, an adjustable drop-plate provided with a thumb-screw to engage the inside of the gunwale, a rock-plate pivotally connected to the head of the clamp the rock- Yplate adapted to connect a bow-facing oar,sub

stantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY'DOBSON REESE.

NVitnesses:

LEE COWART, J. N. VAUGHAN. 

